Last night saw one of the most awaited smartphone launches of the year. Apple launched its all-new iPhone 14 Series which consists of 4 models- iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro & iPhone 14 Pro Max. The series comes with fresh upgrades in the form of design, battery life, camera setup, and connectivity.
Earlier reports claimed that Apple is taking innovation a notch higher as it will introduce satellite connectivity for the iPhone 14 Series, and those reports did come out to be true. Apple has introduced a new satellite feature as well as eSIM support for its newest iPhone Series. Read on to understand how these features will work.
Satellite Connectivity
The satellite feature required apple to design all new custom hardware and software to make sending out a message to a satellite possible without bulky antennas. This is a text-only service and will be used for emergencies, but it does support two-way communication so you will be notified when rescue is on the way. The Find My App will also be able to share your location with friends so that they can keep an eye on you.
In this feature, you can compose custom messages to explain your situation, but when speed is life-saving several specially prepared questions will let you send out a detailed SOS in just a few taps. When there is a clear view of the sky, a message can be transmitted in about 15 seconds, but if the sky is not clear or there are trees overhead, it may take a few minutes.
eSIM support
Coming to the e-SIM support, Apple has touted the ability to quickly swap between multiple eSIMs and add carriers without visiting one of their offices. Dual eSIM is supported so you don’t need any physical SIM. There is no SIM tray in the latest iPhone series.
Although these two features are surely striking and one would love to have them on their iPhone. But for those in India, you will have to be disappointed as Apple has confirmed that these two features will not be available on the iPhone 14 Series that will sell in India.
The SOS Satellite feature will launch in November for users in US and Canada and will be free for 2 years, the dual e-SIM will come to the US only for now. In India, there is a slot for an eSIM as well as a regular SIM card, so those Indians who get their iPhones from the US might find it difficult to use the iPhone 14 US model in India. This is because the dual eSIM feature might not work in India as of now.
Apple has confirmed the same via their website, wherein they have clearly mentioned that these two connectivity features are not applicable to the Indian subcontinent.
What are your views on this limitation? Let us know in the comments section below.
I am planning to buy iPhone 14 Pro Max from US for use in India. I am a single sim user and not planning for using 2nd Sim slot. can I buy iPhone 14 from US and use in India? Or Do you anticipate any issues?
Hard to say. We would request you to check with your operator before buying.